Machine for casting tension upon fabrics



Aug. 6, 1929. H. M. EATON MACHINE FOR CASTING TENSION UPON FABRICS 192B2 Sheets-Sheet Fled-Jan. ll

Aug. 6, 1929. H. M. EATON MACHINE FOR CASTNG TENSION UPON FABRIC FiledJan. ll, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet atenten Aug. 6, 1929 nrrnn STATESlJZIldlEtt;

lmilwhlNT OFFICE.

HORACE MJEATGM, GE DIAMANT, lVIASBACHUSETTS, ASSEGNR GF UNE-HALF "lOGERGE L. PREBLE, OF LYNN, LVISSACHUETTS.

MACHINE FOR CASTING 'EENSOE UPN FABRICS.

Application filed January l1, 1928, Serial N'o. 245,988.

This invention relates to a machine for casting` tension upon a flexiblestrip and `more specifically to a machine adapted to assist in thenuinu'l'acture of insoles for welt shoes. ln seine respects the presentmachine coniprises an improvement over that disclosed in `iny copeudingapplication Serial No. 225,718, tiled October 12, 1927.

My copending` application Serial` No. 2141229, filed August 20, 1927,discloses a new method of manufacturingreinforced 1nsoles, whereinreinforcingn fabric is provided with a permanently plastic1 tcnaciouslyadhesive agglutinant that may be applied directly to the leather insolewithout requiring heating or any preliminary treatment. Prior to niyaforesaid in'lproveiuent in 1nsole manufacture, because of the necessityof running the duch or canvas through a heater, it was impractical toprovide insole reinforcing fabric in various widths in order instantlyto change from the use of fabric of one width to `the use f fabricofanother width during the course of nianufactlnfe. Since the heater iseliminated by the aforesaid invention, it is now feasible to usereinforciinp1 strips of various widths to suit various siyies ofinsoles, thus avoiding unnecessary loss of fabric and affording; greatereconomies in shoe manufacture. While the adhesiveness of the plasticcoating)V may be varied, it is highly desirable and practicable toprovide au agglutinant which has strongadhesion; with material of thischaracter considerable force is required to draw the run of coatedfabric from a roll of the saine, due to the firm adhesion existingbetween the fabric windings.

lfhe machine presented herewith is primarily arranged to permit the useof duck or canvas of this character which .is highly adhesive and yet toavoid unnecessary tiring of the workman who is applying` the reinforcingfabric to the iusoles, while permitting,y the ready, interchangeable useof various types'of insole fabrics (e. different widths to suitdifferent widths of insoles). This mechanism is designed to beinnnediatcly responsive to a light pull upon the part of the operator,so that the use of the .improved reinforci'ne` fabric inconjunction withthe machine requires less effort upon the part of the workman than haspreviously been. necessary. Thus the present invention permits theworlnnz-ln `to take hold of the severed end of any one of several fabricstrips and to'draw the saine lightly, whereupon the machineautomatically will start operation in order to cast suitable additionaltension upon the fabric run that cxteads from the adhesively coatedroll, thereby overcoming the effect of the strong adhesion between thewindings of the roll. rllie machine :is designed to be compactlyinstalled beneath the work-bench that is commonly used in applying,` thefabric to the insoles so that it will not require additional floorspace, o f it may be an integral part of a specially constructed benchto be used for this purpose.

One aspect of the present invention particularly relates to theprovision of iinproved means permitting the instant change from the useof one type of fabric to a fabric havingfg a different width ordifferent characteristics. Means are provided whereby theinterchangeable use of the various fabric strips does .not affect theadjoining` strips which are not being` used. In order to cast additionaltension upon the coated strip, it is desirable to utilize a frictionroll, a portion of which engages the fabric run. A furthe aspect of theinvention concerns the provision Vof .means designed to prevent thecontinued movement of the fabric after the tension cast thereon by theoperator relieved. ln other words, the frictional means which are foundeffective in casting additional tension upon the fabric has a celitainmomentum or inertia which tends to cause their continued movement afterthe drivingl energy provided therefor has ceased, and the presentinvention provides means normally hohlingthe fabric out of engagementwith the friction roll, except when tension being cast upon the saine bythe worlnnan, so that rotation of the roll in order to feed anotherstrip of fabric to the point of use, or rotation of the roll due to theinertia of the rotating parts, is not permitted to affect the stripswhich are engaged by this factor. lvfeans of this character may beadjusted and may also cooperate in effecting;4 the automatic stoppin' ofthe machine when the initial tension from the hand of the operatorceases.

'lhe above and further advantageous features of the invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading` of the subjoineddescription and claims in conin. which Fig. l is a side elevational viewof one embodiment of the machine forming` the subject matter of thisinvention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the Same; and n Fig. 3 is a section on lineof 2 showing` the parts in another position.

A machine of the type exemplified in the accompanying drawingspreferably is supported Vupon the end portion of a workbench or table 2of a type that may be neet in applying` the reinforcing fabric to theinsoles. rl'hus the machine does not require the use of additionalfloorspace. For the purposes of this invention the table 2 is providedwith a peripheral Yframe l of angle iron. The wooden top of the tablehas one corner out vaway in order to provide a rectangular openingiwithin the corner of the angle iron frame l.

' which Suitable hangers 5 are secured to the under face of table 2,each of these hangers carrying,` a horizontal spindle G upon which aroll 8 of the adhesively coated fabric located. Preferably the spindles6 are provided with conventional retaining,v clen'ients 7 and washers 1iin order 'to permit the ready removal, replacen'ient, and retention ofthe rolle desired. Each of the fabric rolls 8 preferably comprises: duckor canvas coated with a permanently plastic, tenae ciouslyv adhesiveagglutinant with the adhesive coating upon the inner face of eachwinding tirmly'holding the same in engagement with the outer uncoatedface of the adjoining winding. Preferably the fabric in vcath of therolls Sinay differ in width or plurality of friction rolls Q; these mayhave widths substantial ly correspondmr to the various widths of stripe,as shown in Fie 2.

` Each of these rolls preferably has peripheral covering' 24; ofmaterial having a coinparatively high coefficient of friction, forexample soft rubber, and is so arranged that a'run yof fabric from oneof the fabric rolls 8 may be wrapped about a considerable seg'-Vmentalportion of its periphery when the fabric is fed to the pointof'use, whereby Vthe friction roll may have anellective frictionalengagement with the fabric strip; Pivotally mounted upon the shaft 2lare a plurality of swinging yolres or frames 27 lhave arms projecting`upwardly through opening; The frame l and the vali of the opening 4which is formed by the wooden table top form stops to limit the swingingmovement of frames 27. The

lsides of each frame support a transverse roller 28 therebetween attheir upper cxtreinities, this roller beingsv adapted to rcceive one ofthe fabric runs as it leaves the roll 2O and cooperating with the :samein effecting the engagement oz the uncoaicd fabric surface with aconsiderable peripheral portion thereof, while permitting the strip tobe dravn in the genera direction of the surface of table 2 by theworkman. The lower portion of the frame 2T is cxtended to provide guardsllwhich may be located at either lside ol the periphery of a roller 2Oin order to prevent undesirable lateral movement of the fabric.

A suitable electric motor is arranged to rotate shaft 2l and rollers 20in order to cast the desired tension upon a il'abric strip leaving aroll S. This motor may drive the shaft through any suitable means, suchas the worm 36 and the worm gear 3T. lrcferably motor 35 is energizmlthrough :in electrical line that is controlled by a conventional switchfactor 3 such, for cxanuplo, as a suitably enclosed mercury switch. Theswitch is operated by an oscillal'able link 39, the end of which ispivotally connected to a swinging trame lll, the upper und of which isprovided with pintlee-s all supported by suitable brackets secured lothc table, while the lower part of member 40 comprises a transverseelement which is positioned so that it lios within the path oll each ofthe swinging frames 27, l and 3.

Secured to the under surface of (able Q iS the transverse angle 5l), Alilnralitlv ot loope 5l of comparatively heavy, resilient wire havetheir ends clamped to llio depending leg; of member 5U by a bar 52 andfastening; elements 5 it being' evident that moans ol this characterpermits the relative adjustment of the loops and anglo member. llachwire loop preferably extends dmvnwardly about the lower half of thefricion roll 2l) and is passed through an opening;` in a transverse bar.f5 in each oll the framee` 2T. 'lhc ends of the wire loops are loopedover another transversfe bur 57 upon i'rznnc 2T, as shown in Figs. l and2l, the relative position of bars and 5T permitting` each wire loop toengage substantially ono-half of tho periphery of a friction roll. ',lhcroll portions preferably are provided with suitableI peripheral `grooves5G registering with the wire loops 5l and having' a depth `:rrealcr thanthe dianieter of the wire of these loops. The present disclosure showstwo grooves and two wire loops for each roller portion. but it is to beunderstood that the number of these elements may be varied if desired.

When the f 'ame 2T is ewunpl` to a position wherein its upper endengages the angle l Sli lll() lltl as a stop, Fig. l, the resilient wireloops l are moved to their unretracted position wherein they are locatedsomewhat outwardly of the periphery of the frietional roll portions. Atthe same time the switch 38 is open and the member l() is swung towardthe frame 27. When any of the several frames 27 swung upwardly so thatthe edge of the wooden table top acts as a stop there for, theintermediate portion of the frame is engaged against the trai'isversepart of switch control member Ll() and holds the link 39 in a positionensuring the closing of the electrical circuit, at the same time thewire loops 5l are drawn into their retracted positions Within theperipheral grooves so that their outer surfaces lie below the rubberfaces of the rollers. v

ln the use of a machine of this character, the fabric run from each rollis fed under the corresponding friction roll, its uncoated surfacebeing` ordinarily engaged with the wire loops 5l which, in theirunretracted position, are disposed somewhat outwardly of the peripheryof the friction roll portioiis, as shown in Fig. l. The fabric thenpasses over roller 28, the end thereof beine' located upon the top oftable 2 within convenient reach of the hands of the inachines operator.Thus, when the machine is not being aetual ly operated, a plurality offabric ends will be located side by side at one edge of the table topready to be selected and lightly pulled by the workman; and, while inthis position, the strips may be gripped between the frames 27 and framemember 2, as shown in Fig. 1. This pulling of the `fabric strip resultsin the swinging of member 27 against the action of spring elements 5l tothe position which is shown in Fig. El. Thus these elements are broughtto their retracted positions within the particular roll about 'which thepulled fabric is wrapped. Thus the selected fabric strip whichpreviously was held out of engagement with the friction roll by the wireelements 5l is brought into lirm engagement with the same. At the sametime the element 27 engages switch control member Ll() to swing thelatter through a path which results in its actuating link 39 to closethe switch and to start the electric motor rlhis driving means rotatesshaft 2l through gearing and 3G, thus causing the rotation of each ofthe friction rollers and the consequent imparting of additional tensionto the selected fabric run as it leaves the roll 8. In the meantime theelements 5l for the adjoining strips of `fabric which are not being`movement of the fabric.

of the strip is released, the frame 27 will swing back to its normalinoperative pesition under the influence of spring members 5l, thusreleasing switch members 38 and l0, opening the electrical circuit andstopping the provision of driving energy to the machine. At the sametime the spring elements 5l are moved outwardly from theirretractedpositions and remove the fabric strip from its position in engagementwith the periphery of the frictional roll so that continued movement ofthis roll due to the momentum of the rotating parts will not result influ-ther This latter function is desirable, since, after the pull of theoperator upon the fabric strip ceases, con tinued movement of theportion of the strip which adjoins the roll might result in the uncoatedface of the strip continuing in engagement with the peripl'iery of theroll and wrapping entirely about the same so that the end of the stripcould no longer be conveniently reached by the operator of the machine.

it is evident that `with a machine of this charzueter the opeiiator needuse only a light pull in order to draw any of the selected strips fromits roll in order to provide a sullicient length 'thereof lorreinforcing one or more insoles and that the release of the tensionwhich he casts upon the strip will instantly result in the cessation ofthe tension which is imparted to the run by the friction drum 2l).Obviously the use ot the narrowest fabric practical for the iusolesbeing manuiliactured permits a distinct economy in the use of material,while it is also sometimes desirable to use reinforcing fabrics ofdilferent weights for different types of shoes without any delay due tothe change from one type of fabric to another. It further evident thatthe operator may immediately change from the use of reinforcing fabricof one width or type to that of another width or type without anynecessity for delay due to such a change.

I claim:

l. Apparatus for pulling a run of adhesively coated material from a rollof said material, comprising an element adapted frictionally to engagethe run of material, means to impart movement to said element, controlmeans for said lastuained means, said control means being actuated byinitial tension cast upon said run in order to draw the run from theroll, and means to move the fabric from engagement with the friction,element when the control means is released due to a slackening of thetension upon the fabric runl i 25Apparatus for pulling a runofadhesively coated material from a roll of said material, comprising a`friction roll e ment adapted to engage a run of material, means toimpart movement to said friction said friction rolls, a plurality ofswinging frames each adapted to be engaged by a run of the fabric as itleaves a friction roll and to swing in response to tension cast uponsaid run, control means actuable by the movement of a swinging frame inorder to start and stop the driving means, and means to permit theeffective engagement of the friction roll with any selected run ofmaterial without engaging the others, said last-named means beingcontrolled by the swinging frames.

11. A machine of the class described, comprising means for supporting aplurality of replaceable rolls of fabric having one face adhesivelycoated, the supporting means perniitting free rotation of each roll, aplurality of friction rolls rotatable together, a plurality of movableframes, each friction roll and frame having a surface adapted to engagethe uncoated face of a run of fabric extending from a fabric roll, eachframe being movable in response to initial tension cast upon thecorresponding run, driving means for imparting movement to said frictionroll element, and common control means actuable by the movement of anyof said frames in one direction to cause the operation of said driving.means.

12. Apparatus for pulling a run oi; adhesively coated fabric from anyone of a plurality of rolls of said fabric, comprising a plurality offriction rolls each adapted frictionally to engage a fabric run, drivingmeans to rotate said friction rolls, a plurality of swinging frames eachadapted to be engaged by a run of the fabric as it leaves a frictionroll and to swing in response to tension cast upon said run, controlmeans actuable by the movement of a swinging frame in order to start andstop the driving means, resilient loops tending to move the frames fromthe position which they occupy when they are actuating the control meansin order to run the driving means, grooves in said friction rolls, saidloops oc'- cupying a retracted position within the grooves when thecorresponding frame is swung from said position and occupying a positionoutwardly of the peripheries of said rolls when the frame is in saidposition, whereby they permit engagement of thefabric run with the rollonly when the corresponding frame is causing operation of the drivin gmeans.

13. Apparatus for pulling a run of adhesively coated fabric from any oneof a plurality of rolls of said fabric, comprising a plurality offriction rolls each adapted frictionally to engage a fabric run, drivingmeans to rotate said friction rolls, a plurality of swinging frames eachadapted to be engaged by a run of the fabric as it leaves a frictionroll and to swing in response to tension cast upon said run, controlmeans actuable by the movement of a. swinging frame in order to startand stop the driving means, resilient loops tending to move the framesfrom. the position which they occupy when they are actuating the controlmeans to run the driving means, groovesI in said friction rolls, saidloops occupying a retracted position within the grooves when thecorresponding frame is swung from said position and occupying a positionoutwardly of the lmripheriesI of said loops when the frame is in saidposition, whereby they permit engagement of the fabric run with the rollonly when the corresponding frame is causing operation of the drivingVmeaini, one end of each loop beingl so sccured to the swinging framethat its position .in relation to the friction roll varied in responseto the movement of the frame.

1.4i. Apparatus for pulling a run of adhesively coated fabric from anyone of a plurality of rolls of said fabric, comprising friction rollsadapted frictionally to engage each fabric run, driving means to rotatesaid friction rolls, a plurality of swinging frames each adapted to beengaged by a run of the fabric as it leaves a friction roll and to swingin response to tension cast upon. said run, control means actuable bythe movement of any of the swinging frames in order to start and stopthe driving means, and elements to engage each of the runs upon whichtension is not cast in order to hold these runs out of engagement withthe corresponding friction roll, said elements being connected to theswinging frames to vary their positions in response to the movementofthe corresponding frame.

15. Apparatus for pulling a run of adhesively coated fabric from any oneof a.

Vplurality of rolls of said fabric, comprising a friction roll adaptedfrictionally to engage each fabric run, driving means to rotate saidfriction roll, a plurality of swinging frames each adapted to be engagedby a. run of the fabric as it leaves the friction roll and to swing inreslimnse to tension cast upon said. run, common control means actuableby the movement of any of the swinging frames in order to start and stopthe driving means, and clemcnts to engage each of the runs upon whichtension is not cast in order to hold 1 these runs out of engagement withthe friction roll, said elements being connected to the swinging framesto vary their positions in response to the movement of the correspondingframe, said elements also tending yieldably to move `the frames againstthe initial tension of the fabric run.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 9th day of January, 1928.

HORACE M. EATON.

